Automatic musical instrument.



6. F. STODDARD.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION man Now-20.1911.

Patented J :1.11. 22, 1918,

LQ Q Q `:music sheet has been re-ivound from unirre'n srafrns alsacien-r operon.

Gewinns F. sironnann, or Boeren, massant-inserm.

4Application led November 20, 1911.-

To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

, Be it known that l, (I1-mums F. S'ronmnn, a citizeno't' theV United States, and a resident of Boston, county of Sulollt, and State of Massachusetts, hare invented an 11nprovement in Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following descriptione in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification. like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to automatic musicalV `instruments ot' the type in which the 'playing is controlled bye perforated note sheet or thelilre, Wound from a spool onto a take-up roll: and the invention pertains more particularly to an automatic stop mechanism for arresting the operation of part or all of the apparatus, by reference to the ren'incling ofthe notesheet. o p

The character of. the inventionpmay be readily understood .by reference to one practicable embodiment which is shovvn by ay of illustration in the` accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic representationof a stop mechanisml 'for throwing an electric switch to break a motor 'circuit,' when the .the talteuip roll onto the spool upon completion oi a playing operation;

Fig. Q d'agrams suitable circuit arrangements illustrating the practice of the invention. l A

As shown in Fig. "l, the illustrative Atakeup roll 5 `ie provided With a duct 6j opening at t .e surface olthe roll and adapted toy be covered by the note sheet, While the latter is being wound thereon. The duct G may be arranged radially of the take-up roll 5 and to communicate `vvith a duct 7 which es tends axially through the shaft 8 ot the take-.up rolls and communicates 'with a inating duct. 9 inthe bearing l0 vfor said shalt. The bearing 10 may be of any` practicable design. The duct 9 is preferably extended as by a tube il to a diaphragm chamber l2 which controls a double-acting valve 13. The valve 13v controls ,a port il to atmosphere and a port l5 to an exhaust chamber 1G connected by a duct l? with any practicable source of exhaust. A. bleeding vent 1S is interposed between thediaphragm chamber l2 and exhaust chambeifl. The ports le and lo are opened alternatively by the Specification of Letters retient.

` Patented Jan. 2.2, 1918. seriamaeemse.

valve lil/into communication,l `with the interior of a pneumatic Q0. The movable vboard ofthe pneumatic 2O is suitably connected as by links El, '212, with a stopping device of suitable construction and mode of operation to suit thev particular apparatus for which the invention is to be applied as exemplified by an electric svvitchy Q3 ot' the ivell ltnoivn tivo-button typ-c in which one yof the tivo buttons is intended to be pressed for breaking thecircuit and the other button to be pressed for making the circuit. The illustrative sivitch 23 has the button :2l which, when pressed in.,maltes the circuit by swinging a contactlever 24a clock- .Wise in Fig. 1 about its pivot 2l. T his lever is provided at its upper end with a contact- 24; insulated from' the rest ofthe lever. and

always in frictional contact `with a {ixed contact Qld secured to the interior ot the casv ing of the switch Q3 troni' which it is insulated. When moved as described. the contact 24e also contacts rictionally With a second fixed contact 25' secured to tlie interior of the casing of the 'siviltch 2S and insulated therefrom. ll'hen said button 24 ispulled out. the circuit will be brolrenas Will be 'readily` understood with an effect. equivalent to thaty otpressing in the other button Q5. T he link 22, ior example, is connected to the button 2l. Hence, when the pneuinaticQO is collapsed it pulls the links Q1 and 22 toward the le'lt in Fig. 1 andl thereby pulls out the button 52st and breaks the circuit through the switch. l

Preferably. some manually operable means 1s provided tor controlling the switch: for

example. a lian'd lever 25ais ulcruined ai 'Q6 and the 'links 21 and 2'2 connected thereto.

'll'vhen the pneumaticy 20 is collapsed auto matically, the hand lever' sivings idly, and when it 1s desi-red to re-inalte the circuit by pushing 1n the button 2l. the hand "lever 25a may beswhng contraclockivise 'in Fig. 1 for that purpose. v

Referring novv to Fig. 2, the above described illustrative apparatus isshown in.

lconnection with the take-,up rolll 5 and other parts described. The take-up roll receives the note sheet 30 from of controlling ay motor circuit 35 comprising a source of power 36 and an electric motor the spool 31 after passing over the tracker 32. This apparatusI is illustrated as employed for the purpose operation as by throwing the hand lever 25":L

contraclockwise in F ig. 1 to the position shown, to close the circuit to the motor 37. This exhausts the pneumatic `action and starts the drive of the note sheet winding mechanism through a pneumatic motor for instance, (not shown) ,which communicates ldirectly or. indirectly with the trunk 39,

Likewise, the trunk 39 being connected directlycrindirectly with the duct 17, the exhaust chamber 16 is evacuated and through the bleed 18 the ldiaphragm chamber 12 is likewise evacuated, theyalve 13 being` then held in the position shown. `This condition continues (unless changed by operating the hand lever 25a) so long as the note sheet remains wound upon the take-up roll 5 sut'- iciently to cover the mouth of the duct, 6. On the re-winding of the note sheet, however, the end of the latter is iinallysufciently withdrawn from the take-up 5 to vent to atmosphere the mouth of the duct 6, whereupon atmosphere enters the diaphragm chamber 12, lifts the valve 13, and opens communication between the exhaust chamber 16 and the interior of the pneumatic 20. This collapses the pneumatic 20, pulls the links 21, 22, and the button 24 to the left, and breaks the circuit through the illustrative switch 23 which' constitutes -a preferred form of stopping device.

It is to be understood that the-invention is notlimited to the specific construction, organization and mode of operation hereinbeforeldescribed, since, as will appear to those skilled in the art, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in various waysu It is not essential that the invention be employed in connection with the control of a feeder bellows motor nor in connection with any particular arrangement of electric or pneumatic circuit.

Claims:

1. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a spool for the note sheet; a tracker; a take-up roll to receive the note sheet from the spool and having a vent in the surface thereof adapted to be closed when the note sheet is wound thereon;

a diaphragm chamber; a duct connecting thel diaphragm chamber with the vent of the take-up roll; a valve controlled by the d phragm of said chamber; a pneumatic collapsible upon operation of said valve; a

handle lever connected to the movable board of said pneumatic; an electric switch conj nected to said handle lever; feeder bellows; and a feederfbellows electric motor having its circuit controlled by said electric switch.

2. In an automatic musical instrument,

'the combination of a spool for the note sheet;

a tracker; a take-up roll to receive the note sheet from the spool and having a vent in the surface thereof adapted to be closed when the note sheet vis wound thereon; a diaphragm chamber; a duct connecting the diaphragm chamber with the vent of the takeup roll; a valve controlled by the diaphragm of said chamber; a pneumatic collapsible upon operation ot' said valve; handle lever connected to the movable boardof said pneumatic; a' stopping-and-starting device also connected to said handle lever; and a motor controlled by said stopping-andestarting 'dev1ce.-

3, In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a spool for the note sheet; a tracker; a take-up roll to receive the note [sheet from the spool and having a vent in the the note sheet from the spool and having,` a y vent in the surface thereof adapted to be closed when the note sheet is wound thereon g a pneumatic collapsible upon opening said vent; transmitting means intermediate the vent and pneumatic; a stopping device oper ated by collapse of said pneumatic; and a 'motor controlled by said stopping device.

5. In A an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a spool for the note sheet g' a tracker; a take-up roll to receive the note sheet from .the spool and having a vent in the surface thereof adapted to be governed and closed by the note sheet; a stop-mechanism controlled by saidA vent whenever the latter is uncovered by the note sheet during the operation of the machine; and manually operable means for operating the stop-mechanism "independently of said vent.

6. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a spool for the note sheet; a tracker; a take-up roll to receive the note sheet `and the spool and provided with `a controlling element of a stop-mechanism rendered inoperative when the note sheetis wound on the take-up roll; a stop-"mechanism automatically operated by said controlling element whenever the note sheet is unwound from the take-up roll; and a manually operable device for operating said stop mechanlsm.

7. In an automatic musical instrument, 5 the combination of a take-up roll having a duct in the body thereof extending from a point on the surface adapted tobe covered by the note sheet, to a point contiguous to the bearings of the roll; a duct in the bear- 10 ings to communicate with the duct of the roll; an electric switch; and pneumatic transmission mechanism intermediate said ducts and electric switch for operating the latter. j

In testimony whereof, I have signed. my 15 name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' CHARLES F. STODDARD Witnesses:

A. P. CONRADT, `I. H. H. SQUIRE. 

